Summer TV Roundup, Week 10

We’re making our way through August and approaching Labor Day weekend. After that, it’s quickly into the Fall TV season. So, summer is wrapping up quickly. But what of these new shows is worth your time to check out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new series this summer. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks!

Tuesdays:
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered August 5)
About: The sports anthology series that always signals the start of the NFL season is back. This time, we’re focusing on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. This series always rises and falls based on the personalities we meet. The pilot episode was a mixed bag. I’m interested in the team, and Allen is charming, but some of it was just OK. Still, Dion Dawkins and Tre’Davious White were a lot of fun. I think there’s some potential here and, mostly, I’m excited football is back. If you’re an NFL fan, or just a fan of a great sports documentary, Hard Knocks is for you.
Pilot Grade: C+

Thursdays:
Necaxa, Thursdays at 10 p.m. on FXX (Premiered August 7)
About: I referenced last week that we’ve seen a flood of series trying to capture the Welcome to Wrexham aesthetic. It follows a star who has purchased an interest in a soccer team they’re trying to see succeed. This is the third such spin-off to release in two weeks, this time from FXX and featuring Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds as investors. The team is Necaxa, which plays in Mexico. The celebrity we’re mostly following is Eva Longoria, the actress who now lives in Mexico and is passionate about her team. The series debuted with two episodes on Thursday, with the rest of the 10-episode season arriving weekly. This one, owing to its location, is heavily subtitled and in Spanish. Even Longoria, Rob Mac, and Reynolds give interviews in Spanish. So, that’s something to keep an eye out for, you can’t second screen this. But, unlike last week’s entries, this feels similar in tone and style to Wrexham. If you can’t get enough of soccer documentaries, this is for you.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Fridays:
Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Fridays at 8 p.m. on Starz (Premiered August 8)
About: This spin-off from the world of Outlander takes the action to the past. It’s also based on the novel from Diana Gabaldon. This one follows the romance and relationships of the parents of Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp, the main protagonists of the book. That sets the action in two timelines—1714 in Scotland, where a grieving Ellen MacKenzie (Hariet Slater) has fallen for clan rival Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy). That makes their budding relationship a challenge, especially as Ellen’s brothers are vying for power in the wake of her father’s death. Meanwhile in England in 1917, we’re introduced to Lt. Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine), who has become disillusioned as he’s in the trenches of World War I. He writes a letter to no one in particular that finds its way to Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield), who is working in communications in London. She’s struck by the letter and writes back. Soon, a romance blooms though they’ve yet to meet in person. The first two episodes of the 10-episode season dropped on Friday, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly through October. The first episode is 80 minutes, with the second about an hour. The first focuses heavily on MacKenzie and Fraser, the second on Beauchamp and Moriston. The first episode is beyond slow at times, and by contrast the second works much better. The pilot does have the big twist at the end that serves as a hook. For fans of the genre, and especially fans of the parent series, this will be appointment viewing.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: B-

Streaming Series:
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday, Now streaming on Netflix (Premiered August 5)
About: If you’re more of a college football fan, this new sports documentary is for you. It follows the SEC teams as they prepare and compete during the 2024 season. It’s a seven-episode series, each about 50 minutes, making for a quick binge. This is a great way to relive the season and explore the stories and the people that make the games happen. For college football fans, this will be appointment viewing to get you hyped for the new season. If you’re not a big college football fan, this might not hold much appeal.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Demascus, Now Streaming on Tubi (Premiered August 7)
About: This series had a long path to the screen. It was originally ordered and produced by AMC in 2023, but they cancelled it before it aired. Now, it’s been rescued by Tubi, with all six episodes available to stream. It’s a bit of a high concept. It’s set in 2023, but an alternate and more futuristic version of 2023. There, a 33-year-old man named Demascus (Okieriete Onaodowan) is trying to improve himself using the latest in digital therapy technology. That’s the initial hook, but much of this comedy is about Demascus trying to survive his everyday life (or relive it through the therapy sessions). Episodes are about 30 minutes each, making it a quick watch. Onaodowan is a charismatic lead, but the series didn’t have enough focus or hook for me. It’s a quick binge if you enjoy it, but it’s certainly an acquired taste.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C